The day I read the labs marked the end of junk food. I got out my wok, shopped for organic veggies, Omega 3 oils and chicken breasts and began eating like I mattered.
Funny, how I could ever have forgotten how much I loved the flavors of my stir-fries with all kinds of veggies and some fruits thrown in, not just for great bursts of flavor, but for the unique contributions each brings to the health banquet, too.
Remembering Chromium and Niacin as being good for insulin management, I ordered some. I thought I had researched them well enough, but a few weeks later, I found I hadn't. It turns out that Chromium Picolinate needs niacin, to do it's work, but the form of niacin I had ordered caused some troublesome side effects. Not dangerous, but not anything I was willing to endure. I backed off of the niacin and made sure I was taking the Chromium Picolinate at the same time as my natural B vit supplement. Further research brought me to Chromium Polycotinate, which is already combined with a minute amount of niacin for absorption. I ordered that and have been taking it since. Except, sometimes, in the last few weeks, I have been forgetting, since a new eating plan has me eating more times a day than I sometimes can find time for and the chomium can't be taken at the same time as my thyroid meds.
F-MCS: Part of my Fibromyalgia/MCS (F-MCS) syndrome involves undiagnosed magnesium deficiency-related pain and, sometimes, weakness to the point of stumbling. Years ago, I started carrying Mag-phos with me at all times, because just a few doses of that would often fix me right up. That is, unless I am immersed in some chemical fumes, in which case, I have some other homeopathic remedies that may do the trick and if not, I simply vacate the environment.
It was taking too much of my time and attention going from one doctor to another, with each, my needing to become willing to give up what was working to some extent in order to make a clean start on the new one's suggested (often expensive) regime. I finally quit, decided to manage my symptoms however I could. By being careful, I've been more OK than not.
Narcolepsy has also been a problem. Acupuncture helped as long as I could afford to do it weekly, but my budget could not sustain that. I did find a homeopathic remedy that helped me, but then, I threw off my sleep cycle pulling a couple of all nighters with my sister in the hospital. After that, it came back and I never quite overcame it again.
ENTER BUDWIG: APRIL 22, 2016: Listening to the Web Series: "THE TRUTH ABOUT CANCER", I heard mention of Bio-chemist, Dr. Johanna Budwig's diet. It was just one among many for whom there were people speaking, people who had experienced remission of their tumors or, in their words, "cures." What perked up my ears was a description of cellular level chemical reactions that involved transfer of electrons from oil molecules to protein molecules which would render the oil absorbable as H-2-O and then in some way that I didn't get, enable the cells to function in a way that would permit healing. My meager understanding of my magnesium-responsive pain was that it, also, had something to do with chemical reactions at the cellular level, either occurring wrongly or not occurring.
Mention was also made that the diet had been found to be effective against diabetes and other auto-immune diseases. Immediately, I started researching it. Not much has shown up on line about diabetes, or even any other diseases, but I ordered a book written by Budwig. It's explanation of how the mixture works at the cellular level left me hopeful that it could help normalize my own cellular functioning. Who knows if I was operating out of clear intuitive guidance or just wanting to think it could work! Anyway, I put together the implements and ingredients to make the main ingredient and began.
What that meant was adding a mixture of cottage cheese bonded with flaxseed oil + freshly ground flaxseeds a couple of times a day. It's delicious and feels sinful when combined with fresh fruits and/or seasoning. Thinking I could put on weight when I needed to take it off, I have not ever had a day of the full complement of the mixture. I've only been doing 2 meals of the mixture and only ⅔ each time of the recommended oil/protein mix. ( I do 2 T oil to 4T cottage cheese) For sweeteners I have been using stevia and plant-based xylitol. Grains haven't interested me, much but I've had the occasional museli, rice serving or even now and then, a spelt wrap. The latter is discouraged because the flour is refined, but I've only done it about 3 times.
Thinking of it as a long term commitment, I really wasn't looking for changes right away. But in a couple of areas I have been surprised:
Less than a week into the new program, I had a remarkable experience in the dentist chair. I am typically very kinesthetically aware, so it was no surprise that even though the area was pain free due to local anesthesia, I could feel exactly where the dentist was drilling, each part as she carefully prepared this tooth for filling and, then, a bridge. In the past, I would have been tightening my grip on the armrests, holding my breath as much as possible tensing against the unpleasant vibrations and screeching drill sound. Instead, this time, I found myself appreciating my dentist, having loving feelings, gratitude welling up. It isn't for sure that it had anything to do with the diet, but the timing is interesting. When the Dr. Budwig's book came, I read in it that she often took cancer patients who were expected to die within hours to days. She was their last resort. She would immediately give them an enema of flaxseed oil. She did not explain why an enema, but I suspect it was because it was large area through which the oil could be absorbed by a patient whose nausea and lack of appetite prevented taking it orally. She wrote that they often started to feel better within hours; part of what improved was their outlook. I write this, here, because I wonder if the flax oil might have been affecting me more than I anticipated by the time I entered the dentist's office. No telling for sure, but I have been feeling more spontaneously loving, lately, but just as with every other possible sign, I haven't been keeping track, so I will just have to have a look back some day and see if it continued.
A shampoo by my hair dresser has been unpleasant for me for a long time because of typical Fibro-hypersensitivity. This time, either she balanced the strength of her right and left hands better (doubtful) , or my sensitivity meter had been adjusted. I didn't even think about it until hours later. I must have been comfortable. For now, I am choosing to believe it my sensitivity meter had been turned down!
I find I can still get pretty sleepy at the wrong times, but since starting the Budwig mixture, I find I can usually overcome it . That has been a boon even if I'm not all the way cured, yet.
My doctor sent me to a skin specialist for a possible pre-cancerous lesion on my face. He wasn't sure; told me to watch it. That was before and after he offered to burn it off. I didn't want it burned off because it might have dissuaded the few eyebrow hairs I still have growing there after the last burn-off 20 odd years ago. A few weeks after having started the Budwig mixture, I realized eyebrow pencil was not having to traverse such rough territory. The lesion seems to be resolving. Still watching.
Before starting Budwig, working in the garden had become a chore. Quickly, I would be too fatigued. Now, it is a pleasure. Within maybe a week of including the FOCC (flax oil cottage cheese) , I was back to having to persuade myself to quit working before I really did myself in. Also, I have not been experiencing the stiffness for which I had had to use ibuprofen prophylactically. Once in a while, I feel so good, I even think about going up to sweep off the roof……but I think I will still get Collin to do that for me, instead.
April 10, when I had my mammogram and bone scan, my weight was down. I don't know how closely calibrated the scales at the clinic are, but it looked like I had lost 10 lbs. However, on mine at home, on which I never look as heavy, I am encouraged to be able to record that it looks, today, a month later, as if I have lost about 21. It would be great to lose more, but feeling good and being healthy and functional are my primary goals. Being able to wear my clothes more comfortably has been a bonus. Until yesterday, I had no idea I was looking better to anyone else.
Yesterday, sitting, reading in the car, as I waited for my screenwriting class to begin, a teen-age girl knocked on my window. As it rolled down, she said, "I want to tell you something. It's that I think you're really beautiful with your blue eyes and lipstick and gorgeous complexion. REALLY beautiful!" Wow, she made my day! Later, a classmate asked if I had lost weight, remarking that my face was looking clearer, more slender and healthier.
Now, out to the garden before putting my nose to the grindstone to get a letter written for FOF! Oops! Can't yet! I've had my Budwig breakfast and, then, at noon, my mid-morning veggie juice; Now at 3:15, I better make my lunch salad. THEN, I can go out. Where DOES the time go? I have to say, I relish every bite, but the number of times a day I am preparing and eating fresh food in order to comply with the recommended plan is limiting what I can get done on any given day. Oh well: Health on the one hand vs bucket list on the other: I choose Health!
Supplements: Budwig discourages them. But I have been using a pile of them. Slowly, I may weed them back. I've been justifying buying pricey nuts and other plant-based luxuries by telling myself I won't be spending so much on supplements. I hope this works. It seems like a gamble, but the jackpot would be sooooo worth it!